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Epigenetics
Epigenetics are external or environmental factors that switch genes on and off and affect how cells read genes instead of being caused by changes in the DNA sequence. Essentially, our DNA isn't the end of the story for our inherited traits. The external environment will turn on and off certain aspects of our genetic code. (https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-07-epigenetics-inherit-genes.html) Network Analogy Imagine our genes are like individual computers in the massive network that is our DNA, not all of these computers will be on at any given time, just like not all computers on the network are on at one time. All of the information stored in that individual computer means nothing if it isn't online. I believe that DNA has evolved in a way such that the most beneficial traits are switched on at different times of year, decade, century and even millenium. This is the most complex molecule known to man and it has evolved for billions of years. Over time, any species whose DNA was maladapted to the cycles of their host planet, solar system and galaxy would become like bottle-necks in the network, unable to keep up. The network would naturally re-route around such slow nodes and they would continually die out of the dominant stream. One of the best ways to keep the network efficient is with diversity, having computers with different capabilities and specialities. Hence, despite a species' genetic evolution being relatively steady over the scale of our lifetimes, it is very useful for a species to have a diversity of traits and specialities in its offspring every year. If all offspring just had the same traits all year round, even if these traits are highly specialised this can be inefficient. Take for example, a network of super computers being used to deliver streaming video content, sure they'll do it very fast, but the extra cores and processing power are being wasted. Astrological Factors Hence, DNA evolved to turn on and off specific parts of its code so that certain traits are emphasised and de-emphasised in offspring born in different environments. This is logical for example for bacteria born in a hot environment to turn off heat storing measures that their cold bacteria ancestors used to stay warm. But of course, for longer-lived organisms that roam to new habitats the direct environment you are born in doesn't tell you a lot about the environment you will live in for most of your life. Detecting cold could mean that you are being born in an ice age, or simply that it's a chilly night. To really be precise, its important to know the position of the Earth relative to the sun (seasons), but also the position of the moon and other planets (effects yet to be understood by conventional science). Epigenetics and Time The methylation of genes, particular CpG sites is an astonishingly good correlator of cell agehttp://www.nature.com/news/biomarkers-and-ageing-the-clock-watcher-1.15014. Using just 353 CpG sites, it is possible to estimate the age of cells from almost any part of the human body, by the average methylation of each site. Certain sites show a positive correlation, while others show a negative correlation, and these 353 sites are just a small fraction of the hundreds of thousands that have been found in the human genome, on top of the tens of millions that our technology has not yet been able to find. Fundamentally, this shows that our DNA has a concept of time. Links DNAm clocks http://www.nature.com/news/biomarkers-and-ageing-the-clock-watcher-1.15014 Epigenetic Biomarkers of Preterm Birth and Its Risk Factors http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4846845/ Horvath paper with 353 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4015143/ = Birth time https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14693348 (Schizophrenia and season of birth) References Category:Biology Category:Human Quantum Computing Category:Quantum